How I Did It: Stephen McDonnell of Applegate Farms
Stephen McDonnell took a tiny smokehouse and turned it into a $200 million meat company.
Kayak.com Co-Founder: 'I Wanted to Transfer Empathy Directly to the Engineers'
How Paul English motivates the programmers at his Kayak.com travel site to respond to customer complaints.
OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter: 'We Agonized & Overthought It'
In 2010, OMGPOP had a million loyal users playing games on its website. But it had to go after Facebook to make a huge hit.
'As Soon As the Site Is Down, Nothing Matters'
Last year, hackers took down music distribution site SoundCloud for 36 hours. Co-founder Alex Ljung explains how SoundCloud responded to millions of infuriated users.
How I Did It: John Bogle of the Vanguard Group
"Saint Jack" picked a fight with an industry--and created a mutual fund powerhouse.
Entrepreneur Ben Lerer: 'I Realized I Had Been Going to Work the Wrong Way'
When his father, Ken Lerer, sold The Huffington Post, Ben Lerer realized it's not all about the exit.
Too Sexy? 'No VC Wanted to Touch Me With a Barge Pole'
Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, explains how every obstacle she encounters only proves why she must launch her "real-world" sex sites.
Path co-founder Dave Morin: 'Why Are We Doing This?'
Adoption was slow when Path--now a fast-growing mobile social network--first launched. Here's how it turned around.
When Joe Bastianich Bet It All on Babbo
Restaurateur Joe Bastianich and his business partner, chef Mario Batali, took on a massive debt before their first restaurant together--they now have 23--took off.
Risky Business: How the Arab Spring Changed an Investigations Firm
The protests in the Middle East tested Jeremy Kroll, son of investigations entrepreneur Jules Kroll, and his expansion of K2 Intelligence into the region.
Hacker Alert: When You Know It's Time to Hire Employees
Anthony Casalena's Squarespace was a one-man operation when, late one Friday night, hackers shut down thousands of sites the company hosted.
'Freaking Out': What Happened the Day Joe Cohen Launched Lore
First-time entrepreneur Joe Cohen talks about what to do when Launch Day inevitably doesn't go according to plan.
How Thrillist Co-Founder Adam Rich Learned to Cope With Highs and Lows
First-time entrepreneur Adam Rich describes a time when leading Thrillist, his men's lifestyle site, seemed too emotionally fraught to sustain.
When to Say Goodbye to a Founding Partner
Pressured to grow, AfterCollege CEO Robert Angulo chose his company over friendship.
How Jules Kroll Ignored Naysayers & Started a Rating Agency
When credit rating agencies came under fire for their role in the 2008 financial crisis, Jules Kroll, the corporate-investigations pioneer, saw a business opportunity.
How Twilio Went to Market Without Investors
Twilio, software for app developers, sought funding just as the 2008 financial crisis hit. Co-founder Jeff Lawson's response: "Screw it."
What a Serial Entrepreneur Can't Resist
When Jose Ferreira's first company failed, he thought he would never start another one. But then he launched Knewton, which makes online education tools.
Intuit's Scott Cook on Failed Global Expansion: 'We Should've Known Better'
Intuit founder Scott Cook tells what went wrong the first time he rolled out the company's Quicken tax prep software around the world.
Flat-Out Rejection: Caliper's Hard Early Months
Herb Greenberg, who lost his sight at age 10, developed a test to help employers see workers for who they really are. But four months after founding HR consultancy Caliper, Greenberg had failed to win a single client.
The Law Is on Our Side (Because We Helped Write It)
Jessica Scorpio struggled for years to get her company, Getaround, off the ground, largely due to one massive roadblock.
